Sparking device.



S. WHEATLBY & C. B. LARMON.

SPARKIN G DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED IBB. s, 1913.

Patented Feb. 24, 1914.

WITNESSES SAMUEL WHEATLEY AND CHARLES E.

LARMON, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI,

ASSIGNORS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO VICTOR ACETYLENE SUPPLY COMPANY.

SPARKING- DEVICE.

messes.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 24:, 1914- Application filed February 3, 1913. Serial No. 745,897.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, SAMUEL VVHEATLEY and CHARLES B. LARMON, citizens of Great Britain and the United States, respectively, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sparking Devices, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in gas igniters whereby a spark, for the ignition of gas, is produced by impingement of a pyrophoric element against a scraper.

One object is to produce a simple and eflicient devlce of this character wherein the sparking elements automatically and instantly return to normal position away from the flame after ignition of the gas, thereby avoiding injury to parts which would result from exposing them to said flame.

A further object is to prolong the life of the sparking elements by keeping them out of contact with each other throughout their forward stroke and part of their rearward stroke, so that there will be no wear until they impinge against each other to produce a spark.

Other objects of the invention will hereinafter appear, and in order that said invention may be fully understood, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a burner provided with our igniting device, the several parts being in position to be actuated to produce a spark. Fig. 2, is a side elevation, looking from the same side as Fig. 1, but with the parts in the position they occupy after producing a spark. Fig. 3 shows the reverse side of the sparker to that disclosed by Fig. 1, with the burner removed. Fig. 4 shows the position of the parts just before producing a spark. Fig. 5 is an enlarged irregular section on line V-V of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a section, enlarged, of certain parts of the invention.

The type disclosed is especially applicable to acetylene gas burners, but of course, use of the device is not limited to that particular type of burner.

1 designates the burner provided at its upper end with a tip 2 to which the flow of gas is controlled by a conical valve 3, ex-' tending transversely through the burner, as shown on Fig. 5.

l designates a hand-controlled lever mounted upon the valve stem 5, where it 1s reliably secured by a spring washer 6 and a screw 7. Lever 1 is provided with a fiat spring 8 having a detent 9 at its free end. Said detent projects through an openmg 10 in lever 1- and extends into the path of a lever 11. Lever 1 has a lug 9 to coact therewith in providing a broad bearing surface for detent 9. The hand-controlled lever 4 is provided at its pivoted end with lugs 12 and 13, adapted to alternately impinge against a stud 14, projecting from the adjacent side of burner 1, thus limiting the rotary movement of valve 3 and lever 4:. Lever 11 is tulcrumed upon a screw 15, engaging the upper portion of burner 1, and has a curved lower portion 11 beveled on the side adjacent detent 9, as shown on Fig. 6, so that said detent may be guided by said beveled side to the upper edge of lever 11.

16 designates a holder in the form of a bell-crank lever, pivotally-secured by a pin 17 to the long end of lever 11, which end has a lug 18 extending laterally beneath the upper arm of holder 16, to limit the downward pivotal movement of said arm, which is normally held in contact with lug 18 by the weighted arm 16 of holder 16. Holder 16 is provided at its upper arm with a sparking element 19, adapted to coact with a steel file or other sparking element 20 to produce a spark.

File 20 may be slightly curved as shown on Fig. 1, or straight as shown on Fig. 4, and is fixed to the upper end of an arm 21 .tulcrumed beside lever 11 upon screw 15. Arm 21 is provided at its pivoted end with extensions 22 and 28, adapted to alternately contact with the valve-stem 5 and thus limit pivotal movement of said arm.

24 designates a spring which is primarily actuated by the hand-controlled lever 4 and in a measure controls said hand-lever 4, the lever 11, and the arm 21, as will hereinafter appear. Spring 24 has a coiled intermediate portion 25, secured to arm 21 by a pin 26. The lower end of spring 2 1 extends through an eye 27 integral with the pivoted portion of the hand-controlled lever 4t, and the upper end of said spring bears against a lug 28,

extending laterally from the long end of lever 11 and overlapping the adjacent portion of arm 21.

29 designates a rod depending from the free end of lever 4 to within convenient reach of an operator.

When it is desired to ignite the gas, lever 1 is drawn downward by rod 29, until checked by lug 12 impinging against stud 14. As lever -1 moves downward, detent 9 engages the curved portion 11 of lever 11, and draws said portion downward on its initial stroke until detent 9 slips off the extreme end thereof, which however, does not occur until just after holder 16 and its sparking element 19 have been raised to the position shown on Fig. 4. As the long end of lever 11 swings upward, it, through lug 28, carries the upper end of spring 24: therewith, which, through its connection with arm 21, carries said arm therewith until its extension 23 contacts the valve-stem 5, after which lever 11 continues on its upward movement alone, thereby moving the sparking elements 19 some distance in advance of the file 20. The continued movement of lever 11 after arm 21 has been arrested, tensions spring 24, hence when detent 9 swings clear of the curved terminal 11*, said spring instant-1y retracts lever 11 and causes it to sweep backward at great speed. As holder 16 is carried backward with lever 11, the inertia of the weight arm 16, causes the sparking element 19 to swing upward into contact with the file 20, thus producing a spark which ignites the gas that has been turned on by the downward movement of the hand-controlled lever 4. As lever 11 swing backward lug 28 contacts arm 21 and carries the same backward therewit-h to the position shown on Fig. 2, where further backward movement is limited by extension 22 contacting the valve-stem 5.

The parts are reliably held in the position shown on Fig. 2, by the spring 24:, and, consequently, the sparking elements are held away from the flame while the valve 8 will be held in open position by the pressure of spring upon ear 27, which pressure holds lug 12 against stud 14.

When it is desired to cut off the gas, lever ilis raised until lug 13 contacts stud 14 (Fig. 1), where it is held by spring 24.

As the sparking elements do not engage each other except at the time of impact when producing a spark, wear thereby is reduced to a minimum.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a device of the character described, a pivoted arm, a sparking element carried thereby, a lever for actuating said arm, a second sparking element operably-mounted upon said lever and arranged to strike against the first sparking element, a second lever mounted adjacent the first lever, and a detent on said second lever whereby the same act-uates the first lever.

2. In combination with a gas burner, a sparking attachment consisting of a sparking element, an arm pivotally secured to the burner and carrying said sparking element, a lever also pivotally secured to the burner for actuating said arm, a second sparking element operably-mounted upon said lever and arranged to strike against the first sparking element, a second lever mounted adjacent the first lever to actuate the same, means on the burner and the second lever to limit the movement of the latter, and resilient means for holding said second lever in contact with its movement limiting means.

3. In combination with a gas burner, a sparking attachment therefor consisting of a sparking element, an arm pivoted to said burner and carrying said sparking element, a lever also pivoted tothe burner and arranged to actuate said arm, a second sparking element operably-connected to said lever and arranged to strike against the first sparking element, coacting means on the burner and the arm for checking the same before said lever has completed its initial stroke, a second lever mounted upon the burner valve and arranged to impart the initial stroke to the first lever and then release the same, coacting means on the burner and said second lever to check the movement of the latter after the same has opened or closed the burner valve, and re silient means mounted upon the arm and engaging the levers whereby speedy retraction of the first lever and its sparking element is accomplished when released by the second lever, and whereby the second lever is reliably held at the end of either its initial or following stroke.

4. In a device of the character described, a sparking element, a pivoted arm carrying said sparking element, a lever for actuating said arm, a holder pivotally-secured to said lever, a second sparking element carried by said holder and arranged to strike against the first sparking element, a weighted arm on the holder to throw the second sparking element in position to strike the first sparking element, means for moving said lever on its forward stroke, means for checking the arm before said lever has completed its forward stroke, and resilient means connecting the arm and the means for moving the lever on its forward stroke, said resilient means bearing on the lever to speedily retract the same and cause the second sparking element to contact the first one.

5. In a device of the character described,

lease the same, and resilient means connectmg the arm and said second lever and bearing against the first lever whereby speedy retraction of the latter and its sparking element is accomplishec.

8. In a device of the character described, a sparking element, a pivoted arm carrying said sparking element, a lever pivotallymounted beside said arm to actuate the same,

a sparking element, a pivoted arm carrying said sparking element, a lever for actuating said arm, a second sparking element operably-connected to said lever and arranged to strike against the first-mentioned sparkingelement, means for checking the arm before said lever has completed its initial stroke, a second lever arranged to impart the initial stroke to the first-mentioned lever and then release the same, and resilient means cona second sparking element operably-connectnecting the arm and said second lever and ed to said lever and arranged to strike hearing against the first mentioned lever against the first-mentioned sparking element, whereby speedy retraction of the latter and means for moving said lever on its initial its sparking element is accomplished when stroke, a lug on the lever adapted to engage released by the second-mentioned lever. and restore the arm to normal position after 6. In a device of the character described, said lever has completed its initial stroke, a sparking element, a pivoted arm carrying means for checking the arm before said lever said sparking element, a lever for actuating has completed its initial stroke, and resilisaid arm, said lever having a beveled terent means connecting the arm and the means minal, a second sparking element operablyfor moving the lever on its initial stroke, connected to the lever and arranged to strike said resilient means bearing against the lug against the first-mentioned sparking-eleof the lever whereby speedy retraction of ment, means for checking the arm before the latter and its sparking element is accomsaid lever has completed its initial stroke, a plished. second lever arranged to impart the initial 9. In a device of the characted described, stroke to the first-mentioned lever and then a pivoted arm, a sparking element carried release the same, a catch on the second lever by said arm, a lever for actuating said arm, adapted to slip over the beveled terminal of said lever having a lug normally bearing the first lever and positively engage the lat against said pivoted arm, a holder pivoted ter to impart the initial stroke thereto, and to said lever, a sparking element carried by resilient means connecting the arm and said said holder and arranged to strike against second lever and bearing against the first the first sparking element, a second lever lever whereby speedy retraction of the latter mounted adjacent the first lever, a detent and its sparking element is accomplished extending through the second lever and when released by the second lever. adapted to engage the first lever to actuate 7. In combination with a gas burner, a the same, a spring for pressing said detent sparking attachment therefor consisting of toward the first lever, and resilient means a sparking element, an arm pivoted to said mounted upon the pivoted arm and bearing burner and carrying said sparking element, against the lug on the first lever whereby the a lever also pivoted to the burner and arsparking element carried by the holder is ranged to actuate said arm, a second sparkcaused to quickly strike the companion sparking element.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

SAMUEL WHEATLEY. CHARLES B. LARMON.

ing element operably-connected to said lever and arranged to strike against the first sparking element, coacting means on the burner and the arm for checking the same before said lever has completed its initial stroke, a second lever mounted upon the Witnesses: burner valve and arranged to lmpart the F. G. FISCHER, initial stroke to the first lever and then re L. J. FISCHER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G." 

